diff --git a/drivers/acpi/ec.c b/drivers/acpi/ec.c
index 49e16f009095707f9134295e677648604c2f1a69..9415a0041aaf7fc846a2a892cca391e2589163bc 100644
--- a/drivers/acpi/ec.c
+++ b/drivers/acpi/ec.c
@@ -1080,29 +1080,21 @@ void acpi_ec_dispatch_gpe(void)
 /* --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Event Management
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
-static struct acpi_ec_query_handler *
-acpi_ec_get_query_handler(struct acpi_ec_query_handler *handler)
-{
-	if (handler)
-		kref_get(&handler->kref);
-	return handler;
-}
-
 static struct acpi_ec_query_handler *
 acpi_ec_get_query_handler_by_value(struct acpi_ec *ec, u8 value)
 {
 	struct acpi_ec_query_handler *handler;
-	bool found = false;
 
 	mutex_lock(&ec->mutex);
 	list_for_each_entry(handler, &ec->list, node) {
 		if (value == handler->query_bit) {
-			found = true;
-			break;
+			kref_get(&handler->kref);
+			mutex_unlock(&ec->mutex);
+			return handler;
 		}
 	}
 	mutex_unlock(&ec->mutex);
-	return found ? acpi_ec_get_query_handler(handler) : NULL;
+	return NULL;
 }
 
 static void acpi_ec_query_handler_release(struct kref *kref)